Planning for a Big De-Clutter

My life is full. Literally and figuratively full. Mostly with books, but also with half-written stories, poems and epic novels. So I'm spending this week trying to figure out a way I can get rid of all this junk without losing a treasure--or at least make a buck off of one. In terms of all the physical items, I think I'm going to start with a yard sale and see how well that goes. I would just give it all away if I had a rich husband or a best-seller under my belt, but I'm still working on one of those (I'll let you decide which one).

Next, I'm going to have to completely reorganize my filing cabinet, binders and flash drives. I know that I have plenty of story ideas to work on, but when they are all buried under four levels of folders within folders that I thought were very organized once, it's kind of hard to find the diamonds in the rough. I will probably never let any unexplored idea go, but I can at least put it in its place in case I ever get back to it.

Hopefully all this work will be able to fund my next adventure in dollars and in spirit.

Going Old School

I've been slightly distracted this week. I bought a portable record player and it's really great. There's nothing better than listening to old records. I don't know why I didn't make an investment in a record player sooner.

Anyway, I thought listening to records instead of CNN while I worked would be a better solution, even if it was only to get me up and moving every 20 minutes to change the record. Turns out, I prefer staring at the record while it is spinning when I'm listening to it. So, records are only for after the day's work is done, but it is becoming a great way to end the day. And of course, it's fun to hit Half Price Books and various yard sales to get more vinyl.

Other than that minor distraction, all the writing is still on schedule. Write on, folks. 

Busy Weekend Ahead

There are so many things that I have to get done this weekend. There's a bunch of work I still have to do since I babysat today instead of pushing through, yard sales tomorrow (I just can't stop!), and getting the furniture fixed up before the move. It's closing in on less than three weeks now, so I'm going to be super-busy until then.

I did, however, manage to compile my short blog series about branding for writers. If you missed any of the installments and don't want to try and find them in the archives, you can find it all here: The Business Side of Writing: Branding.

Okay, off to get some more work done. If I find something spectacular at a yard sale or finally finish that furniture, I'll post an update. if not, I hope everyone enjoys the weekend!

What A Rollercoaster

Work has been so off, I have had to start taking articles for less than $5 again. But I'm so close to getting my new apartment that I'll do almost anything to earn money. It's not a good situation. I had a little panic attack about it the other day and hid in bed... which is extremely counter-productive considering the type of work that I do.

Good thing I crawled out of bed on Saturday though, because I managed to finish up most of my yard sale shopping for the summer. I picked up the last of the furniture that I needed. It needs plenty of work and paint, but my family and I are taking care of that this weekend.



I'll let you guys see the after picture once they are done!

I'm still not comfortable with this low work load, so once again I'm going to bombard you with my shameless promotions. Here are some of the articles I wrote last week, so get your mouse clicking:

Hiring Moving Companies Glossary
Key Terms for Television Equipment
Terms You Need to Know About Mortgage Brokers
Key Terms for Inventors
Access Control System Glossary
Key Terms in Telemarketing

Again... thanks for the support! I really appreciate all of my readers. :)

It's Friday, People

And you know what that means. I'm sitting here, trying to finish up any work that I need to get in before the weekend officially starts. I'm also glancing over a list of yard sales. Not spectacular this weekend, but you never know. The coolest items are usually never listed.

Since work was such a slow week for me, I was able to work on a lot of articles. While they may not completely be your forte, remember that clicking on any of these articles does bring me one step closer to a decent monthly royalty check! Nah, no pressure or anything, right? I really do appreciate any support though. Here's what I managed to get online this week:

What You Need to Know About Arrowheads
Making Great Wedding Shower Invitations
Choosing Herbs for Health
Applications and Uses of Metal Engraving Equipment
Dermatology Education Terminology

Again, thanks to anyone that gives me a click or two. And if I haven't said it lately, thanks to all my Twitter followers! I'm thankful that you put up with the randomness and (occasional) advertisement.

Disappointing

The weekend wasn't much for getting excited about. The yard sales were very disappointing. I wouldn't say people lied in the paper about what they had, but they worked with the imagination of budding writers -- all of them. I did pick up some more glassware, but without a definite home to go to, those are quickly taking up room I don't have.

It was also a little disappointing to go past all of the houses for rent this weekend. If the house looked nice, the neighborhood was less than appealing. And if the neighborhood was great, the house was a chopped up Victorian that probably looked just as bad on the inside as the outside. I really want to rent an old Victorian, but all of that type of house in this town have been turned into 4-6 apartments. It's a shame, really.

So this week I'm bound to make it a good week. There's no reason I can't turn a positive attitude into positive results. I woke up this morning, raring to go, and there's no work. Usually this is a temporary situation, but it kinda put another bummer on the week. Oh well. It gave me time to enjoy some fresh blueberries for breakfast and get some personal writing done. Maybe I will get my poetry book, Personas, done by the end of the year!

And make sure to come back on Wednesday when I begin my five part series on branding for writers!

Some Very True Statistics

...or at least it feels like it. This came across my Twitter feed this morning and made me smile.




And to my job: If I see one more title about weddings, I think I'll scream. It's one thing to be alone, but it's another thing to rub it in my face. Thank you.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I know I'll have some fun at the yard sales. And thanks for putting up with some of these random ramblings. Such is the blog of a writer, I guess.

Great Finds and Better Times

Last week was frustrating, to say the least. But all of the work issues have been ironed out and plenty of work is still available. The only downer was that the apartment complex I was interested in does not currently have a unit available. So, moving for the last time might have to wait for a few months.

That's okay, because the yard sale season is in full swing and I'm concentrating on that. My mom and I love to check them all out to see what we can find. I'm currently looking for specific decor and I found a couple of gems last week.

First, I found an Argus Argoflex E. I have no idea if it's still in working condition because I bought it purely for the vintage look it has. If it does still work, that's a bonus, because I only spent $7 for it.

I also picked up a ruby red Indiana Glass vase just like this one. It's was only $0.50. The last thing I bought was a mirror-backed shelf that is perfect for my 1"-3" Buddha figurines.

Nice to find a little inspiration in lost treasures. I may even write a poem on the shear beauty of that camera!